I might be biased, but it has to be said: Even a relatively slow issue of Godland is still better than 90% of anything else on the new comics’ rack. And this was a relatively slow issue of Godland. We pick up where last issue left off, in our alternate reality that we know will come to an end sooner or later. Therein lies the problem, of course, because this brave new world that we’re being exposed to seems meaningless from the start, just a minor diversion to the story that we’re really interested in.

But, as with anything Joe Casey puts out these days, the details make even the most unnecessary story beats interesting. You just can’t resist a caption like, “Violence on the half shell! Pure human aggression vs. unknowable alien motivation!” even if it is part of a minor storyline.

While Casey’s scripts are always entertaining, watching Tom Scioli evolve as an artist has been nearly as interesting. Scioli might have started, in many people’s eyes, as a Kirby clone, but his style as grown with every issue of Godland. Even better, it’s apparent that the changes are a direct result of the story itself, as his art now has a '70s Marvel element to it.

I erroneously mentioned in my review for the second issue of Charlatan’s Ball that this is the first issue of Godland’s final year of existence; it’s actually the last issue before the final year begins. It feels like the end of a chapter, too. The set up for the next one is extremely appealing, and I can’t wait to see what Casey and Scioli come up with as they send Archer into the depths of space.

Tom Scioli has a day job and I’d imagine Joe Casey subsides mostly on his monthly Marvel limited series. Personally, I think this is a tragedy, particularly since they’re the bi-products of the fact that Godland just doesn’t sell very well. I am glad that Casey saw the writing on the wall and decided to set an end date for the series (#36 for those who don’t know), so at least we’ll get a well planned finale. Still, it’s a shame that such a fantastic book has to end at all.

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